Chapter 309
Chapter 309
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 309
Chapter Title: The Flower's Lingering Scent
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The world was cleaved apart.
With that, the dryads and the massive vines lunging toward him all shattered and vanished. A sword strike pushed to its absolute limit. Power that touched supremacy. A single blow as the true Heavenly Demon was more than enough to shatter heaven and earth.
Heavenly Demon's Heaven-Rending Strike.
World-Severing Slash.
The demon that arrives rends the heavens, severing evil.
That was exactly the result.
"Guh...! Cough! Grh! Th-this...!"
The eternal flower garden that had held the breath of spring was now transformed into ruins so nightmarish they might haunt one's dreams. Was this... was this truly something I had done?
The overflowing power and the 'supreme force' that had raged from my brain were so unreal that even I, who had wielded it directly, could scarcely believe it.
"This is absolutely impossible!!! What in the world have you done...! Kahak!!"
Only her upper body remaining, the Alraune roared in madness. Her fury-filled eyes and exposed fangs looked utterly ferocious.
Yet despite her rage, there was nothing she could do. That single mighty strike had severed her very core.
...Unbelievable power.
"No."
I told her as much.
"This is plain reality. Queen of Flowers."
"Grraaah...!"
I raised my sword and approached.
The Alraune twisted her body and let out guttural screams, but no more vines rose, and no dryads appeared. Our desperate gamble for life had ended in my victory.
"Impossible...! This can't be happening! I just awoke moments ago! To end like this... like this again!! I can't accept it!!!"
Come to think of it, hadn't she said she'd only recently regained consciousness?
It must have been bitterly regrettable for her. But the same could be said for everyone she'd hunted until now.
That karma.
I'll end it here.
—I raised my sword.
"D-don't come closer!"
Her queenly demeanor had long vanished.
"Stay back! Don't come near me!"
Like any sacrifice facing death, she begged desperately for her life. Just like... me moments ago.
The world is like a coin, with clear heads and tails.
Where there's life, there's death. Where there's death, there's life.
"Impressive."
The cruel Queen of Flowers, Alraune, would die here.
By my hand.
"You had quite the magnificent chest, Alraune."
"...You bastard!!!"
The Alraune's breasts would remain forever etched in my heart. She was a monster, but those tits were exceptional.
—Stab!
I aimed for her solar plexus and brought the sword down.
No mercy, no pity. From the start, the Alraune had planned to use me as fertilizer or commit some other atrocity. Above all, she was a vile criminal who listened to her prey's tales in that manner.
Killing her was only natural.
Sparing her would bring nothing good. It would only lead to more victims or revenge against me.
"Gahk...! Not like this... I can't vanish again like this...!"
The Alraune clutched the blade, spewing blood as she vented her injustice. Silently, I recited a mantra, praying she would be reborn as a beast to pay for her sins.
"How many more years... will I have to..."
What?
Was she some kind of respawning monster?
"Hey, what do you mean by—"
—Rustle.
In an instant, the Alraune's body began dissolving into red petals. Rustle. This was reality, yet her transformation into flowers and fading away felt like the most sacred work of fantasy art.
Those petals caught a sudden breeze from somewhere and scattered into the wind.
Was this the final end of the Queen of Flowers?
...It was quite the spectacle.
"...What's this?"
As the Alraune scattered into petals, a single red flower remained where she had lain.
"A flower?"
—A beautiful flower.
Infinitely more radiant than the monster it came from, I didn't know its name, but it looked exquisitely beautiful and valuable.
I carefully dug it up, wrapped it in nearby leaves, and tucked it into my pouch. Whatever it was, I'd scored a proper trophy for once in a while.
"Right, Kobson...!"
Remembering Kobson, I immediately checked on him.
This bastard better not have rolled over there and actually died—
"—Kahak!"
Suddenly, blood erupted from my mouth.
No, what the fuck?
"Cough!"
The thick gush of blood soaked my chest and legs. I frantically tried to scoop it back up with my hands, but there was no saving what had already been spat out.
At the same time, the world spun dizzily.
My mind was warping.
Internal injuries...
"Grh...!"
I knew it instinctively.
A world that wasn't reality.
In other words, the backlash from drawing on the extreme power of this illusory realm had pushed my mind to the brink of collapse. I realized it on instinct.
"Fuck..."
That momentary taste of supremacy had clearly been my potential, my future. But now, not even a fragment remained within reach.
The power I'd awakened in an instant had slipped away like smoke, losing all form.
I'd grasped ultimate power, but now simply keeping my eyes open was my limit.
—Heavenly Demon Death Beam.
That force I could call truly infinite.
Now, not even a fingernail's worth of its mighty energy could be felt.
And the ultimate secret technique I'd just used to cleave the world, the World-Severing Slash, had long since flown off to some unattainable distance, its method forgotten.
The illusory power drawn from illusion had become illusion once more and vanished.
If asked whether I could use it again... no.
But someday, I was certain I could make it truly my own power. That battle had let me experience a higher realm, if only temporarily.
"But."
Still.
"Feels like I'm gonna die here, huh."
No bullshit, I really felt like I was done for.
My mind was flying off to the other side, and my body had no strength left. I'd never imagined feeling my soul crumbling to dust in life, but this was it.
—Thud.
Strength drained from my knees.
A strange sense of floating washed over me as the world lowered.
Before I knew it, I'd collapsed.
"Ugh... ah... so this is... my end..."
I couldn't control so much as a single muscle fiber, let alone mana.
No exaggeration—after burning through a century's worth of pride in one go, I was paying the price by dying. Now sprawled one with the earth, it wouldn't be strange if I just got buried right here.
Regrettable.
I'd touched that realm, if only for a moment.
Yet to close my eyes without making it my own...
A deep lingering attachment welled up.
If only I'd shown it... to Cloudie... how amazing...
...it would have been.
With that thought, my vision went black.
****
"Teeeeeeng!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
As mad terror of death crashed over me, all my pride and bullshit were long gone—a girlish scream burst from my mouth. Fuck! I don't wanna die! Please spare me! Buddha! King David! Hwanung!
I frantically prayed to all those I'd ever given faith to, but astonishingly, not a single one answered. You fucking bastards! Where the hell are you, please!!!!!
"Hyaak!! Barbarian! What's wrong!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.
"...Wh-what? Barbarian?"
"This bastard's finally come to!"
—Slap slap!
A burning sensation started on my cheeks.
I barely pried my eyes open, and the first thing I saw was a ridiculously protruding human chin. Then, golden silk-like hair entered my view.
That's right.
—It was Kobson.
He was slapping my face.
"A-ack! Hey! That hurts! Stop! Stop it!"
"Finally... finally you've come to your senses!!!!!!!"
At the same time, Kobson pulled me into a hug. What the hell, this guy? Get off? It's not like I'd died and come back to life.
Died and come back?
Resurrection of the dead?
No fuck, what?! What happened!
"Kobson! What the hell is going on! Where are we, and what about me...!"
"Sob! Thank goodness! Truly thank goodness!!!"
"Stop crying and explain, you punk."
Kobson, now calmed, shoved me away.
Only then did my vision fully clear, and I looked around. This place... was a jungle. But not the garden where I'd battled the Alraune.
Looking closely, it seemed like some kind of hideout.
"Urgh... You didn't open your eyes for two days, so I thought you'd really kicked the bucket. Opening them now is a miracle!"
"What? Two days?!"
"Yes, that's right!"
To me in shock, Kobson explained what had happened.
When he came to, the Alraune was nowhere to be seen, the garden was a wasteland, and I was sprawled out.
So he'd quickly pulled himself together, hoisted my unconscious ass, and crossed the jungle at night.
There'd been tons of dangers, but driven by sheer will to survive, he'd found a safe spot, made this hideout, stashed my half-dead body, and hunkered down like a dead rat.
You fucking bastard!!!
Even in that chaos, he'd taken care of me!!
"You son of a bitch! You saved me! Thanks, you fucker!!!"
"You damn fool! Of course I did! Didn't you save me too?!"
"Heh heh heh! You're just a friendship man after all!"
"Same to you!"
Anyway, I'd survived.
For not abandoning my friend, I'd been saved by that friend in return. Fortunately, Kobson hadn't died—he'd just been knocked out by the Alraune's curse.
If he'd ditched me, I'd probably have met a miserable end to the wild monsters that swarmed in after.
Friendship really was precious, fuck it all.
We laughed for a good while, celebrating our survival.
"Gahk!"
"What! What's wrong, Dickbarian!"
"No, fuck, my gut...!"
Maybe from laughing too hard, a bursting pain hit around my solar plexus. Seems like even though I'd survived, my body wasn't normal.
I curled up for a bit to ride out the pain.
"Fuck... Thought I was a goner."
"I went to all the trouble of saving you, so you can't die. Here, drink some water."
"Thanks."
I uncapped the canteen he handed me and sipped slowly. The cool water flowing in cleared my head a bit. Feeling hungry, I pulled some rations from my pouch and chewed.
Stuffing food in my mouth really perked me up.
—Throb throb.
"Kgh...! Kill me!"
"What?"
"Nothing."
Still, pain throbbed intermittently.
Using power far beyond my limits had caused serious internal damage. This... could really kill me if I'm not careful.
I need to get out of this jungle and get treatment ASAP.
"Barbarian...! Looking at you, you seem like you'll croak soon! It's only the barbarian spirit keeping you going!"
"Ah fuck... I'm really gonna die."
"We need to get out of the jungle fast... but there are problems. Still no clue how to escape, damn it!"
Kobson tore at his hair and wailed.
As he said, we were still in the jungle. Staying here long meant death no matter what.
"No."
I replied to him.
"We can get out."
We can, damn it.
"What do you mean?"
"We can get out... I feel it."
For some reason, I just knew.
Us getting lost was probably due to the strange magic gripping the jungle. And since that came from the Alraune, now that she's dead, we should be able to exit.
"Well, holding onto hope is good. Anyway... what now? Your condition doesn't look great for scouting a path right away. Rest another day?"
Pain and hardship like this? I'd experienced it to death in my zeroth year here.
Trifles like this won't break me.
"No. Let's go. Time to head back."
"You sure you're okay? If you collapse mid-way, we're screwed."
"Don't worry, punk. If I was gonna die, I would've by now."
"Hmm."
It was midday.
I grabbed the hesitant Kobson and dragged him out of the hideout. Alright, which way? No idea anyway, so let's trust instinct.
"Let's go, friend."
"Y-yeah, got it."
And so, Kobson and I trekked through the jungle.
"By the way, Barbarian. What happened to the Alraune? What was with those ruins?"
"Oh, that."
I didn't say reality and illusion had crossed, overwhelming her with pressure until she lost.
I glossed it over: got lucky with a sneak attack and sliced her up.